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You have to allow a certain amount of time in which you are doing nothing in order to have things occur to you, to let your mind think.
Mortimer Adler
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Taking time for rest and reflection is essential for creativity and thought.

Mortimer Adler highlights the importance of giving oneself space and time to think, suggesting that periods of inactivity can facilitate creativity and allow new ideas to emerge. Without moments of stillness, our minds may become cluttered, hindering the process of thinking deeply and effectively.

Themes

ThinkingCreativityRestReflectionMindfulness

In practice

Example use cases

You might use this quote during a workshop on creativity to emphasize the importance of downtime.

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In idling, the motor's running, but you're letting your mind take in anything. Things pop into it. Those are the gifts of subterranean conscious.
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A good book can teach you about the world and about yourself. You learn more than how to read better; you also learn more about life. You become wiser.
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If you are reading in order to become a better reader, you cannot read just any book or article. You will not improve as a reader if all you read are books that are well within your capacity. You must tackle books that are beyond you, or, as we have said, books that are over your head. Only books of that sort will make you stretch your mind. And unless you stretch, you will not learn.
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In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can get through to you.
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If your friend wishes to read your 'Plutarch's Lives,' 'Shakespeare,' or 'The Federalist Papers,' tell him gently but firmly, to buy a copy. You will lend him your car or your coat - but your books are as much a part of you as your head or your heart.
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